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CJ Cregg
Commodore
Joined: 05 Oct 2002
Posts: 1254
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 Tue May 10, 2005 3:55 pm Blair Under Pressure for 'Resignation' |
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TONY BLAIR was under pressure today to announce a timetable to leave Downing Street, well before the next general election.
Until now, the Prime Minister has always insisted he would serve the entire term of the next government.
But now, Labour backbencher Ian Davidson has said Mr Blair should step down between 12 months and two years from now to allow his successor to prepare to win a record fourth term in government.
The Glasgow MP, a New Labour critic, said: "We have to have a degree of succession planning so the new prime minister has the time to bed in and doesn't run up against the buffers of a full five-year term. I think between 12 months to two years is a reasonable time."
But Mr Blair intends to tough it out, despite calls from former ministers like Frank Dobson and Robin Cook for him to quit. And he faces a showdown with MPs on Wednesday when he meets the Parliamentary Labour Party.
His advisors say he will stress at the meeting that he will not be forced out of office or dilute his new Labour programme, which he spelled out after winning a record third term, but with his Commons majority slashed from 161 to 67.
As critics called on him to go, former Home Secretary David Blunkett, newly restored to the Cabinet as the Work and Pensions Secretary, accused Mr Blair's critics of trying to "snatch defeat from the jaws of victory."
Attraction
According to close associates, Mr Blair is furious that some MPs are attacking him even though he has won three general elections. Labour still has at least 150 more MPs than the Conservatives.
But Mr Davidson said today that while they had to be grateful to Tony Blair for his victory they now had to "look forward not back" and consider how to win another term.
"I experienced in my constituency a great deal of personal hostility to the prime minister, some of it ill-founded, but undoubtedly he wasn't the attraction this time he was last time," said Mr Davidson.
Today Mr Blair was due to announce his middle-ranking and junior ministers, following the reshuffle of the Cabinet last Friday - the day after the General Election.
The reshuffle has been said to have been heavily influenced by Chancellor Gordon Brown and the refusal of some senior ministers to move. And some critics have said it was a botched reshuffle.
Education Secretary and Bolton West MP Ruth Kelly had been rumoured to be set to return to the Treasury as Chief Secretary, but she remained in her place, although it was reported today that Number 10 education advisor Andrew Adonis could be made a peer and become Ms Kelly's deputy.
Former Labour minister Clare Short today added her voice to calls for Mr Blair to step down.
She said he should go "pretty soon" and a new leader should be announced at the party conference in the autumn.
But Peter Hain, the new Northern Ireland Secretary, said the Prime Minister had already told people he would stand down in this parliament so everybody knew where they were.
Manchester Evening News
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Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004
Posts: 14823
Location: Classified
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| Tue May 10, 2005 4:17 pm |
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Bah. He was just re-elected. Don't push him out now.
-------signature-------
"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
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Leo Wyatt
Sweetest Angel
Joined: 25 Feb 2004
Posts: 19045
Location: Investigating A Crime Scene. What did Quark do this time?
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| Tue May 10, 2005 4:42 pm |
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I don't think he will stop being prime minister . He's a good man.
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Hitchhiker
Rear Admiral
Joined: 11 Aug 2004
Posts: 3514
Location: Ontario, Canada
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| Tue May 10, 2005 4:57 pm |
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So if Blair steps down, who are the MPs most likely to have a chance at the leadership?
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Seven of Nine
Sammie's Mammy
Joined: 16 Jun 2001
Posts: 7871
Location: North East England
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| Tue May 10, 2005 5:41 pm |
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Gordon Brown. He's at the moment the most likely person to become the next Leader of the Labour Party.Jack Straw would also have a chance, but most people think it would be Brown. I actually wouldn't mind Brown as Prime Minister, apart from him being Scottish  (That's just because he would be able to make laws that only affect England, not Scotland).
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CJ Cregg
Commodore
Joined: 05 Oct 2002
Posts: 1254
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| Wed May 11, 2005 11:55 am |
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Its almost 100% certain that Gordon Brown will be the next Prime Minister and a much better PM at that.
Oh and Blair wasnt Re-elected. The LABOUR PARTY was re-elected. the only people who actually voted for Tony Blair were the people of Sedgefield
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madlilnerd
Duchess of Dancemat
Joined: 03 Aug 2004
Posts: 5885
Location: Slough, England
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| Wed May 11, 2005 12:01 pm |
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No one should push him to resign. He can resign as and when he feels like it. I personally feel sorry for the man, everyone's always shouting at him. But if he does resign, I would like to see another female prime minister (doctor who said we'd have one)
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Help me. Get Lost.
www.lost.eu/1b3b1
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